In the early years, he started in the
northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom. From there
he traveled across the provinces of Sakon Nakhon and
Udon Thani, finally reaching Burma, where he stayed
for awhile before returning to Thailand by way of
the northern province of Chiang Mai. Staying briefly
there he then traveled into Laos, practicing the
ascetic way of life in Luang Prabang and later
Vientiane before eventually returning to Loei
province. From this northeastern locale, he wandered
by stages down to Bangkok, spending a rains retreat
at Wat Pathumwan monastery.Following that retreat
period, he took up residence in Sarika Cave,
remaining there for several years. Only upon leaving
Sarika Cave did he return to the Northeast region.

During all those years of extensive
wandering, he almost always traveled alone. On only
a few occasions was he accompanied by another monk,
and even then they soon parted company. Ãcariya Mun
always practiced with a single-minded resolve, which
kept him aloof from his fellow monks. He invariably
felt it more convenient to wander dhutanga alone,
practicing the ascetic way of life on his own. Only
after his heart had been sufficiently strengthened
by higher spiritual attainment did the compassion
arise which made teaching his fellow monks a
priority. Such compassionate considerations were the
reason why he left the peace and tranquillity of
Sarika Cave to journey back to the Northeast.

Previously, his early years of
wandering dhutanga in the northeastern provinces had
given him an opportunity to instruct some of the
kammaååhãna monks he met there. In those days, he
had found a large number of dhutanga monks
practicing in various locations throughout the
Northeast. In making this return trip, Ãcariya Mun
was determined to teach the monks and laity who
trusted his guidance, putting all his energy into
the task. Returning to the same provinces he had
once wandered through, he found that monks and lay
people everywhere soon gained faith in him. Many of
them, inspired by his teaching, ordained as monks to
practice the way he did. Even some senior ãcariyas,
teachers in their own right, discarded their pride
and renounced their obligations to practice under
his tutelage, their minds eventually becoming so
firmly established in meditation that they were
fully confident of their ability to teach others.

Monks among the first generation of Ãcariya
Mun’s disciples included Ãcariya Suwan, the former
abbot of Wat Aranyikawat monastery in the Tha Bo
district of Nong Khai province; Ãcariya Singh
Khantayãkhamo, the former abbot of Wat Pa Salawan
monastery in Nakhon Ratchasima; and Ãcariya Mahã Pin
Paññãphalo, the former abbot of Wat Saddharam
monastery in Nakhon Ratchasima. All three of these
venerable ãcariyas came originally from the province
of Ubon Ratchathani – all have now passed away. They
were influential disciples whose teaching careers
helped to perpetuate Ãcariya Mun’s legacy for the
benefit of future generations. Ãcariya Singh and Ãcariya
Mahã Pin were brothers. Before taking up the way of
practice, they thoroughly studied the Buddhist
canonical texts. They were two of the senior
ãcariyas who gained faith in Ãcariya Mun, discarding
their pride and renouncing their obligations in
order to follow the practice as he taught it.
Eventually, through their teaching efforts they were
able to assist many people from all walks of life.

Next in order of seniority was Ãcariya
Thet Thesarangsï who presently resides at Wat Hin
Mak Peng monastery in the Sri Chiangmai district of
Nong Khai province. He is a senior disciple of Ãcariya
Mun whose exemplary mode of practice is so inspiring
that he is highly revered by monks and laity in
almost all parts of the country. His manner is
always simple and down-to-earth, as one would expect
with his exceptionally gentle, gracious, unassuming
character. He conducts himself with perfect dignity,
while people from all levels of society are
captivated by his eloquent discourse.

When it comes to temperament, or
personal behavior, senior ãcariyas differ in their
natural qualities of mind and character. There are ãcariyas
whose personal behavior is an excellent example for
everyone to emulate: those emulating them are bound
to behave in a pleasing, amicable manner that’s in
no way offensive to other people. The personal
behavior of some other ãcariyas, however, is
pleasing and appropriate only when practiced by them
personally. Should others adopt the same style of
behavior it’s bound to appear false, immediately
offending anyone exposed to it. So it is inadvisable
for most people to imitate the idiosyncratic
behavior of these ãcariyas.

The personal conduct of Ãcariya Thet,
however, is unimpeachable in this regard. Following
his sterling example, one is bound to develop the
kind of pleasing, amicable demeanor appreciated by
people everywhere. He has such a gentle, kindly
disposition that it can be easily emulated without
the risk of offending others. His example is
especially appropriate for Buddhist monks, whose
personal behavior should always reflect a truly calm
and peaceful frame of mind. Ãcariya Thet is one of Ãcariya
Mun’s senior disciples who I believe deserves the
highest respect. For as long as I have known him, I
have always considered him to be an eminent teacher

Next in line is Ãcariya Fan Ajãro who
now resides at Wat Udomsomphon near the village of
Na Hua Chang in the Pannanikhom district of Sakhon
Nakhon province. He is widely known and lauded
throughout the country for his excellent spiritual
practice and his virtuous conduct. His mind excels
in noble qualities, the most prominent being his
immense loving kindness for people of all classes.
He is a monk truly worthy of the enthusiastic
devotion he receives from people of every region of
our country. He genuinely puts his heart into
helping people in any way he can, whether materially
or spiritually – like one whose benevolence knows no
bounds

The next senior disciple I shall
mention is Ãcariya Khao Anãlyo who presently resides
at Wat Tham Klong Phen monastery in the Nong Bua
Lamphu district of Udon Thani province. As he is one
of the foremost meditation masters of our time, it’s
very likely that the reader is already familiar with
his outstanding reputation. Both his mode of
practice and his level of spiritual attainment are
worthy of the utmost respect. He has always
preferred to practice in remote, secluded locations
with such single-minded resolve that his diligence
in this respect is unrivaled among his peers in the
circle of dhutanga monks. Even today, at the age of
82, he still refuses to allow his declining health
to curtail his customary zeal. Some people have
asked me, out of concern for his failing health, why
he continues to put such strenuous effort into
practice when in truth he has nothing further to
accomplish. They can’t figure out why he remains so
active and energetic. I try to explain to them that
someone, who has completely eliminated the
contentious factors that exploit every weakness to
sap energy and hinder progress, has no debilitating
lethargy left to entrap his mind in a web of
delusion. Meanwhile the rest of us have amassed such
a debilitating mountain of laziness that it
virtually obscures us from view. As soon as we get
started on some worthwhile endeavor, we become
apprehensive lest the fruits of our efforts overload
our capacity to store them. We worry ahead of time
about how exhausted we’ll be when the work becomes
difficult. In the end having failed to gather those
wholesome fruits, we are left with an empty basket,
that is, an empty joyless heart, drifting aimlessly
with no hard-earned store of merit to fall back on.
Instead, we fill our empty hearts with complaints
about all the difficulties we face. So laziness,
this blight in our hearts, keeps throwing up
obstacles to block our way. Those who have cleansed
this blight from their hearts remain persistent,
persevering in times of hardship. They never worry
about overloading their capacity to store the fruits
of their efforts. Those individuals whose hearts are
pure, unblemished Dhamma, cleared of all worldly
defilements, stand out majestically in all
situation. Somber, sullen moods never arise in their
hearts, making them perfect examples for the world
to follow.

Each of the above-mentioned disciples
of Ãcariya Mun has certain brilliant qualities
buried deep within his heart, shining there like
precious gems. People having the good fortune to
meet such noble teachers are bound to be rewarded
with amazing insights to gladden their hearts– an
experience they will cherish forever.

Ãcariya Mun taught several different
generations of disciples, many of whom have become
important teachers in their own right. Being a
meditation master of great stature rich in noble
virtues, he was wonder fully clever in the way he
elucidated the path of practice and its fruits. It
was as though he had a miniature Tipiåaka etched
into his heart, as was so accurately prophesied by
the initial samãdhi nimitta he saw when he first
began to practice. Traveling to many regions of the
country during the course of his teaching career, he
instructed large numbers of monks and lay
supporters, who in turn developed a deep devotion
for him and a genuine fondness for the edifying
Dhamma he taught. His spiritual impact was a direct
result of having realized within himself the true
nature of that Dhamma. His words thus represented
that Truth which he had fully comprehended – not
mere guesswork, or conjecture about what the truth
should be or might be. Being absolutely certain
about the Truth arising in his own heart, he taught
this same Truth to others. When Ãcariya Mun left
Sarika Cave to return to the Northeast for the
second time, he was fully determined to teach the
way to as many monks and laity as possible – both
his previous acquaintances who had already undergone
some training, as well as those who were just
beginning to establish themselves in the practice.